First Test: 2011 Ford F-150 Harley-Davidson Edition

The truck's styling also is just as proudly old school. Its silver body (black is the only other color offered for 2011) was given set of orange stripes along the sides and on the hood, with engine turning metallic-looking swirls inside. There are Harley-Davidson logos and shields throughout the truck -- everywhere from the wheels, to the seats, to a gigantic one on the bedliner -- totaling 19 in all. Inside, the theme continues, with black leather covering the seats, plus brushed aluminum and chrome, and lots of Harley accents throughout. Even the storage areas on the backs of the front seats use horizontal zippers, reminiscent of leather biker jackets. There is more engine turning on the center console, as well as a large Harley-Davidson badge. We wonder how warm that badge will get in the summer sun, and also how long it will take when resting your arm on the armrest before you wind up with a Harley-Davidson imprint on it.

&quot;Anyone who likes Harley-Davidson motorcycles will love the attitude this truck has&quot;This is the top of the line F-150, with a base price of $52,115. Keep in mind, that price includes navigation, trailer towing package, power everything, heated and cooled leather seats, rearview camera, and a 3.73:1 rearend. It also comes with retractable side steps that run the length of the SuperCrew's cabin, and automatically lower when a door is opened and lift when the door is closed. And yes, the steps raise and lower independently, so opening a door on the passenger side will only cause that one to come down. The only options ours came with were a pickup bed extender and a tailgate step, for an as-tested price of $52,740. Over the top? You betcha.

Under the hood, though, things are surprisingly low-key. As associate editor Mike Febbo observed, "One of the big disappointments on this Harley edition is heaving open the giant hood and finding such a boring-looking engine. Did the designer at least look at some photos of Harleys? If any truck engine needs a chrome package, it's this one. Harleys are big shiny engines and two wheels held together by chrome and leather. Where are the chrome valve covers, the braided hoses?"

On paper, the 6.2-liter engine in the Harley-Davison FORD F 150 is the big dog of the new engine lineup the half-ton line received for 2011. After all, it has the largest displacement of the quartet, as well as the most horsepower (411) and the most torque (434 pound-feet). But it isn't a volume engine like the rest; it's seen as a specialty engine, standard only in the Lariat Limited, Raptor, and Harley-Davidson models. Other than that, you can buy it as an option on the King Ranch and Lariat, or you can step up to a Super Duty (although there, it only has 385 horsepower and 405 pound-feet).

But the reality is more complicated. The EcoBoost-equipped FORD F 150 we also tested reached 60 mph 0.2 seconds faster. Some of the lag can be attributed to the Harley's all-wheel-drive system and 22-inch wheels, which do add some weight. The Harley truck weighed 600 pounds more than the EcoBoost Lariat. The Harley went through the quarter mile in 15.0 seconds at 94.8 mph, and braking was a fantastic 117-foot 60-0, thanks in part to its Pirelli Scorpion Zero tires. Its fuel economy isn't exactly stellar; EPA estimates put it at 12 mpg city, 16 highway, and the number we got, 13.5 mpg combined, falls within that range. Towing capacity is 7200 pounds and payload capacity as tested is 1221.

The Harley-Davidson's 6.2-liter does truly shine, though. It is a big, raucous V-8 with a nasty grumble at idle and fantastic seat-of-the-pants feel. When it accelerates, it gets to speed right away, and there is never a question about how many cylinders are under the hood, based on how it drives and what it sounds like. Febbo notes, "This thing is just so angry, the noise, the vibration -- and not in a bad way, either." This is a truck that will make its owner happy and eager to show off.

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